Envy
by arrowthroughmyheart
Summary: When the Cullens go to a bar, they find someone unexpected.
1. Chapter 1

"I think we should go out." Alice proclaimed.

"Go out where?" Rosalie asked skeptically.

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><p>The Cullens walked into the bar, Edward trailing behind, looking depressed.<p>

"I'm gonna sing _Envy _by Digital Daggers." A voice said from the small stage in front of the bar. The crowd cheered. The Cullen's looked to the stage, where the singer stood, with her eyes closed, small waist made visible by the clingy dress she wore.

"Is that-" Esme began to say.

"Shh" Edward said. The girl began to sing in a soft, beautiful voice.

_Someday maybe I'll know  
>What's behind that window<br>And I'll be on the inside  
>Looking out at the lonely nights<em>

She placed both her hands on the mic.

_And I'll be by your side  
>We'll hang the Christmas lights<br>Get lost in better times  
>If only in my mind<em>

A small smile settled on her lips.

_Feel my heart start bursting with envy  
>'Cause I'm still in the dark<br>Feel my heart start bursting with envy  
>'Cause I'm still in the dark<em>

Esme flashed a glare in Edward's direction.

_Someday maybe I'll learn  
>The comfort of strangers<br>And I won't feel the winter's bite  
>Looking out at the lonely nights<br>'Cause I'll be by your side  
>We'll hand the Christmas lights<br>Get lost in better times  
>If wishes came true<br>I'd be in there with you_

Now roughly everyone was glaring at Edward, who looked dazed.

_Feel my heart start bursting with envy  
><em>_'Cause I'm still in the dark  
>Feel my heart start bursting with envy<br>'Cause I'm still in the dark_

She leaned away from the mic looking down, her hair shielding her face. When she looked back up, she drew in a deep breath. Her round hips began to sway.

_Feel my heart start bursting with envy  
><em>_'Cause I'm still in the dark  
>Feel my heart start bursting with envy<br>__'Cause I'm still in the dark  
><em>_Feel my heart start bursting with envy  
><em>_'Cause I'm still in the dark  
>Feel my heart start bursting with envy<br>__'Cause I'm still in the dark_

The crowd applauded and her eyes slowly opened. The green orbs scanned the crowd, if she saw them she gave no indication. Her long red hair swung freely around face. Her looks grew more furtive, as if she were looking for someone that wasn't there, her eyes finally seemed to find what they'd been looking for. As she moved to step off the stage, her dress, satin aquamarine blue dress with black lace embroidery, swirled around her upper thigh. A woman stood at the bottom of the stairs, she stood with her arms crossed so that her hands were on her small waist, her pale blonde hair had a light blue sheen to it, her eyes silver-almost translucent. The red-haired woman continued down the stairs until she and the blonde were standing close to each other, the blonde placed a hand on the other's cheek and pulled her into a long passionate kiss.

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><p><strong>May become a story.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**I've decided to continue the story. I'm not really sure why I made her kiss the girl, maybe because I was listening to I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry, but since I did I've decided to just go with it, see if I can undo it without actually **_**undoing**_** it.**

For Edward, of course, there was that big WTF moment that is almost guaranteed to occur when you see your ex-girlfriend, who you happen to still be in love with, make out with and other woman. For the rest of the family, however, there was also a big WTF moment, but underneath that they were very happy to see Bella Swan. And whoever that woman was. Of course there was also the question of whether or not they were ever _actually_ going to stop kissing. And, if not, how the _hell_ were they supposed to interrupt them. Their worries were useless, however, because the two broke apart seconds later.

Bella walked over to them, her heels-which seemed to be made of the exact same material as her dress-clicked against the floor.

"Hello." She said, as if she'd been expecting them. Maybe she had been.

"You have red hair." Was the first thing that - stupidly - came out of Edward's.

"Yeah, I guess the red that was in my hair before spread." she said.

"And you're gay." Alice stated. Bella made a face.

"No, I'm not."

"Bisexual." Alice pressed.

"No."

"But you just kissed that girl." Emmett said.

"Did I?" she asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. You did." Rosalie said.

"Yeah, okay, I did. But I only did it to mess with you guys."

"You saw us?" Carlisle asked.

"Well it's not like you were exactly discreet. I could hear you talking over my song, which, by the way, is very rude."

"How are you even still alive? We heard you died." Edward asked.

"Don't believe everything you hear?" She said, looking him square in the face. She turned and began to walk away. She looked over her shoulder, still walking, wavy red hair flying around her face, "Bye," she whispered, knowing they'd hear.

* * *

><p>It was like she'd disappeared. A whisper from a ghost, who's to say she was ever even really there. The club owner, I suppose, she had-after all-just sang there. Perhaps she was regular. Sure fire way to find out, was to come back, again and again and again and again. By the next Saturday, the Cullens had begun to wonder if she and her friend actually were illusions. Of course, then she'd shown up, as if she'd been waiting the entire week to return simply because she knew that they'd been there every single day, from open to close, afraid that they would miss her.<p>

Actually, she only sang on Saturdays. Not that they needed to know that. When she walked in with her friends, three of them, one with hair that looked pink and purple and black all at the same time, her red irises shone through her brown contacts. Another was a friend from the other night, the last one's hair matched her eyes exactly, both so black that they shone blue. They were laughing, seemingly carefree, but Jasper didn't need his ability to know that it was fake. They were worried, about what, he would-perhaps-never know, but he could see that much.

Of course, the others saw them, too. Jasper saw their muscles tense, resisting the urge to run over and question her. About everything, how she'd spent the last hundred years, how she been changed, why were her eyes green, and most importantly, why she didn't look for them.

They could've helped her. Surely, she knew that. Surely she'd missed them as much as they'd missed her. All of them, even Rosalie, had changed when she was gone. It wasn't like before when they hadn't known what they were missing and could go on, clueless to the fact that there clan was one member short. There'd been less jokes, Esme never seemed completely happy, and Rosalie, well her change had been almost imperceptible-she'd always been a bitch-but a trained eye could see it, her jokes were more spiteful, remarks more biting, she was angry. Well, angrier than usual. Or it could've just been that Emmett was hardly as much fun anymore. They _were_ mates, after all.

Bella saw them and, slowly, her smile faded. She'd _known_ they'd be here, but she'd still come. But she didn't_ want _to see them, so why had she returned? She could've packed and left in one hour flat. Her friends had even _offered_ when they'd heard that she'd seen them. But she'd said no. And even she couldn't figure out why she would've said that.

All of these things were...irrelevant. She had a job and she planned on doing it.

"You don't have to do this, you know." the one with the navy blue hair said. "We have more than enough money, we could just leave." A low growl came from across the room, so they could hear their conversation. Did that really matter? The one with the navy hair didn't appear to think so.

"Don't bother, Racy." Bella said, turning to her. "I'm _fine_."

"'I'm fine', those words got me killed, Bella. Do you want to die?" Racy said. Bella didn't bother to tell her that a part of her had died a long time ago, she knew that, they all did. Perhaps that was why they kept pushing her to leave. They thought she was fragile, they thought she would _break_. They should know better. She wasn't a helpless little girl anymore. She could take care of herself.

"No." She replied, after a long pause. "I don't suppose I do."

"Good, now go up there and sing your heart out and when you get down, we're leaving." Racy said.

"I told you, _I'm fine._" Bella pressed.

"Bella, Bella, Bella, not everything is about you. We were thinking about leaving before, this just made up our minds." said the blue-blonde.

"The food choices here are...dismal, at best." Racy said.

"And you all agreed to this?" Bella asked. "Even you, Ren?" she asked, looking at the red-eyed one.

"Well, yeah." Ren answered.

"And you didn't even think to ask me how I felt about this?" Bella asked.

"We were going to but _they_ came and it was just decided." the blue-blonde said.

"Really, Sky, you were _going to_? I don't think there are two more meaningless words in the English language." Bella said, turning and walking towards the stage.

"I told you she'd take it badly." Sky said.


	3. Chapter 3

**I wrote this story because I was listening to the song-and this is like one of my all-time favorite songs-and I thought it would make a good foundation for a fanfic. And thus Envy was born.**

**Not **_**envy envy**_**, obviously, that's been around for a while.**

"This is all _your_ fault." Sky said, from where she sat on the bar counter. "If you had just listened to me then none of this would've happened."

"And I suppose your plan was perfect and flawless." Ren said sarcastically, throwing back her drink.

"Actually, it was." Sky said, glaring.

"I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like she's blown anything up." Racy said.

Sky looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Yet."

"Yet." Racy agreed.

"Speaking of blowing things up, I've got somewhere I need to be." Ren said, sliding down the counter towards the door. Sky grabbed her arm.

"You are _not_ blowing up the Cullens' car." She said.

"I wasn't going to." Ren said earnestly. "And the insinuation that I would hurts. And even if I was going to do that – and I'm not saying that I was – it's not like they can't afford to get a new one and it's not like they don't deserve it."

"You were and you know it."

"_Actually_, I wasn't."

"_Actually_, you were."

"So I was." She conceded. "They can scurry home likes the rats they are."

"Are you _drunk_?" Racy asked. "I didn't even know that was possible."

"I'm not drunk."

"Really?"

"_Really._"

"I'll pretend I believe you."

"I'm going to go talk to them." Bella said, coming up behind them. "And you're going with me."

"The first part, I'm okay with," Ren began. "But you can shove the second part up your ass."

"Oh, you're coming with me."

"Really." Ren said. "And why the_ hell_ would I want to do that?"

"Because," Bella said with a smirk. "you _owe_ me." Ren hopped down from the counter.

"Fine, but that's the first and _last _time you get to use that."

"Agreed."

Ren hopped down from the counter, pulling Sky down along with her. Racy stood from her stool. They walked over to where the Cullens were.

"Hello." Bella said.

"Hi." Carlisle said.

"Who're your friends?" Alice asked looking over at them.

"Well, this is Sky, Rachel-"Bella began, Racy jabbed a sharp elbow into her side.

"Racy." She said, forcing a smile in their direction.

"-and Siren." Bella finished.

"Siren?" Rosalie asked.

"You know like the mermaids that lure sailors to their deaths." Ren told her.

"I'm familiar with the term." Rosalie said, glaring.

"Great, but if you ever call me that I _will_ kill you." Ren said. The Cullens' must have thought she was joking because they started laughing, but Bella, Sky, and Racy knew otherwise, she'd done it before. Ren blinked.

"I have to go." She said, taking a step back.

"Oh, no you don't." Bella said, grabbing Ren's arm and pulling her back forward.

"My contacts are melting." Ren whispered urgently.

"So?" Bella said, still holding onto Ren's arm. "Your eyes aren't even really red."

"So?" Ren replied. "I prefer to have contacts on when I'm in public."

"Well, get over it." Ren blinked again and when she opened her eyes her brown contacts had dissolved revealing her eyes, which were the color of the morning sky, reds, oranges, pinks and purples, stained her pupils, and seemed to move slowly around in her pupils.

"You have nice eyes." Esme said politely, but you could hear the question in her voice.

"_Thanks_." Ren said, sarcastically.

"Why don't you join us back at our house?" Bella asked.

"NO!" Ren, Racy, and Sky all exclaimed at the same time.

"_Excuse me?_" Bella said.

"I don't want them there." Racy said.

"Then it's a good thing I didn't ask what you wanted." Bella said. "They're coming. Whether you like it or not."

Ren glared at Bella for a couple of seconds before turning to walk into the crowd, "I'll call the guys and tell them." She said shortly before reaching into her pocket and disappearing into the pulsing bodies.

"Someone will be dead before we leave here." Racy said, looking into the crowd where Ren had disappeared. Everyone present could see Carlisle and Esme's struggle not to say something about the comment.

"We should go." Bella said.

"But Ren-"Alice began to ask.

"Will probably be there before we are." Bella said, already pushing through the crowd toward the door. This left the others with no other choice but to follow her.

Their house was a dark midnight blue and three stories tall and it had a surprising lack of…

"A door. Where's your door?" Jasper asked.

"Ren's here." Sky said, as though that answered all questions. And it kind of did. For the Cullens' the real question was how she had beaten them there.

They walked through the doorway and the Cullens observed their surroundings. The walls were a blood red color and the carpets were soft and black.

"She'll be in the living room." Bella said. As they walked towards the living room, Racy and Sky had a whispered conversation.

"I still feel like this is a bad idea." Racy said, in a voice so low the others couldn't hear. "Why'd you invite them here?"

"I didn't invite them, Bella did." Sky replied in the same low voice. "And you don't have to be a genius to figure out it's a bad idea."

"Maybe we should just leave."

"But if we do that then who's gonna keep Ren from killing them."

"Bella."

"Not alone, she's not."

"So, that doesn't mean _we_ have to stay. The guys will help. You know, probably."

"I still feel like we should stay."

"And I still feel like we shouldn't."

But by then it didn't matter because they were already in the living room. Racy narrowed her eyes at Sky.

"You _so_ did that on purpose." She said.

"Well, what're you gonna do?" Sky replied, shrugging her shoulders. Then they sat down next to Ren on the long couch. When they'd all settled down, the first question was asked by Edward.

"What happened?"

"That's none of your business." Ren answered.

"Actually, I think it is." Edward said.

"Actually, I think it isn't." Ren said, leaning forward. "And if you cared about what happened to her you wouldn't have left."

When she made her forward movement Jasper couldn't help but notice a thick gold chain that disappeared between her large breasts. As his eyes trailed down her body he noticed a circular shape just above her bellybutton.

"What kind of necklace is that?" he asked, interrupting the rising argument. Ren seemed to pull back into herself.

"It's an heirloom." She said, touching her hand to her prominent collarbone. "I think I'm going to go figure out where the guys ran off to." She stood up and ran away.

"_Follow her._" The words were whispered into Racy's ear. No one had moved their lips, but Sky knew who had said it. She did as she was asked, without a movement.

"You shouldn't have asked her that." Racy said, looking at Jasper without emotion. When Esme looked at Racy she noticed that her eyes looked like a starry night, gold dust seemed to be frozen at different dimensions in her navy eyes. Of course, this time she didn't mention it. They didn't seem to appreciate compliments.

"Why not?" Jasper asked, somewhat defiantly.

"You know, no one's ever actually seen that necklace." Sky said. "It's always under her shirt."

"Why?"

"Anybody ever tell you that you ask a lot of questions?" Sky said, somewhat harshly.

"Actually, no."

"Doesn't matter she's fast and it won't take her long to get over it." Bella said.

"I could kill you right now." Racy said, glaring at Bella. "You're acting like a stupid teenager, throwing away her friends for a boyfriend that will dump her next week. You could at least bother to care a little bit."

"Well, we can't all be perfect."

"It's nice that you fight over me." Ren said, walking into the room with two guys. "But I'm fine." She shrugged her shoulders. "This is Blaine." She said, pointing to the blonde on her left. "And Eli." She said, pointing to the black-haired guy one her right. But Edward didn't seem to care.

"_What happened_?" Edward asked.

"I was changed." Bella said. "I thought that was kind of obvious."

"I know that, I was asking _how _you got changed." Edward pressed.

"That's actually kind of a funny story…"


	4. Chapter 4

**I noticed that the story was still labeled complete from when it was a one-shot, changed that.**

**This chapter will be told from Bella's point of view, 100 years ago.**

* * *

><p>I walked through the woods, I needed to find it again. I always called him a masochist but look what I was doing, going back to the place that hurt me the most. Maybe if I kept going back it would be over, maybe I would get over it, a heart can only rip so many times.<p>

I was lost, though, of course.

What was I thinking, wandering into the woods by myself? The foolish move of a clumsy idiot. I was going to die out here. But maybe that was for the best.

"Hello." A voice called out, tinkling like bells. I skidded to a stop, my gasps stopping, freezing in my lungs. I spun on my heels, looking around for the person that had spoken the words. I saw her, she had her head peeking out from behind a tree, her long hair brushed to top of the bushes that bundled at the bottom of the tree. She was beautiful, her voice was ethereal, and she was so pale her skin was almost translucent. Everything in my mind screamed vampire. But her eyes, they were what confused me; they were beautiful, but not red or gold. She stepped out from behind the tree, her fingers trailing around the trunk.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to wander the forest by yourself?" she inquired. I took a step back. I felt like cornered prey, I could run but she would catch me.

"Wh-Who are you?" I stuttered. Maybe the wolves would save me again, maybe I would survive. She appeared behind me.

"I think I'm asking the questions here." She whispered in my ear. She kissed my collarbone. I felt heartbeat accelerate and my knees began to wobble. It was over, all the reckless things I'd been doing; I hadn't actually wanted to _die_. I closed my eyes. I wondered if it hurt; being eaten. Then she disappeared.

And I fell flat on my ass.

She appeared in front of me and bent over at the hips, holding her hands behind her back.

"Tell me," she said. "Do you want to live?"

What kind of question was that, duh, I wanted to live. I nodded, probably looking like a bobble head.

"Let me ask you another question." She said, tilting her head. "Do you want to be _immortal_?"

* * *

><p><strong>A relatively short chapter, but I wanted the whole chapter to be dedicated to Bella's change.<strong>

**I'll make up for it next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

**WOO-HOO! **

**Chapter 5, I don't think I've ever actually made it this far in a story.**

**But this time, I'm committed.**

**I have this weird thing where in my head I give Alice an English accent.**

"Don't look at me like that." Ren said. "I gave her_ options._ It's not like I just walked up to her, bit her, and joyfully watched her writhe in pain."

"That's basically what you did to me." Eli said.

"Don't be such a _baby_, Eli."

"I'm just saying, you never even met Bella and I'd known you for 2 years it would've been-"

"SHUT UP!" Sky, Racy, Blaine, and Bella all said at the same time.

"I swear, you two have the same argument _at least_ once a month since you found him and I'm getting sick of it." Blaine said.

"It's been 300 years, Eli. GET OVER IT!" Racy yelled, waving her hands.

"Anarchists." Ren whispered, folding her arms.

"It's not anarchy if there is no government." Sky quipped.

"Oh, shut up." Ren said, throwing a pillow at her.

Edward cleared his throat. "So how did you all get changed?" he asked.

"I changed them." Ren said.

"All of them?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes."

"And how old are you all?"

"18." Bella said.

"19." Eli said.

"I'm 20." Blaine said.

"16." Racy said.

"17." Sky said.

"15." Ren said.

"I meant how long you've been alive." Carlisle said.

"Oh, I was born in 1489." Racy said.

"1569." Sky said.

"1670." Eli said.

"You know when I was born." Bella said.

"1734." Blaine said. They all looked at Ren expectantly, even the ones she lived with, as if they expected her to tell _strangers_ how old she was when even they didn't know.

"Well, I don't see how that's any of your business."

"You can't just keep it to yourself forever." Sky said, crossing her arms. "We'll find out eventually."

"I'll give you a hint." She said. "I'm _really_ old." She whispered conspiratorially

"We're all _really old_." Racy said.

"Then drop it." Ren said.

"Fine." Sky said, crossing her arms.

"What's with your eyes'?" Carlisle asked, forever curious.

"Now that actually is a legit secret." Bella said.

"Oh, c'mon we can tell them." Ren said, sarcastically.

"Shut up. It'll stay a secret until it comes out in some stupid way that could've been avoided if we had been careful." Racy said.

"That's a very…" Sky cleared her throat. "detailed prediction."

"It always happens. How do you think you found out about my last _six_ boyfriends?" Racy said, pointing a finger at herself.

"Well, it's not like you were actually _trying _to keep those a secret." Bella said.

_Why didn't you find us?_

_Why didn't you find us?_

_Why didn't you find us?_

"Because she didn't_ need_ you!" Sky yelled, jumping up out of her seat and clenching her fists.

"Oh, wow, Racy." Ren said, shaking her head. "You were _so_ right."

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that." Sky apologized, sitting down while Edward watched her in shock.

"You just-"Edward began to say but everyone jumped and pulled the Cullens up from their places on the furniture.

"It was so nice having you here." Ren said while she herded Emmett and Rosalie to the door. She pulled it open and pushed them out, leaving it open for the others to do the same. When the Cullens had all been eradicated they all turned to Sky.

"What the _HELL, _Sky?"

She scrunched up her face, lifting her shoulders, _"Sorry_."

And they were so busy arguing, they didn't notice Ren slip out of the door.

* * *

><p>"You know, I think that's the first time I've ever been kicked out of <em>anywhere<em>." Esme said, sitting on the couch in the Cullens living room.

"Oh, you've been kicked out of places." Rosalie said, waving a hand in Esme's. "They were just too polite to tell you."

"Clearly you're not, however."

"No, actually, I'm not."

"They weren't telling us something." Edward said.

"_Really, _Edward?" Rosalie said, sarcastically. "How long did it take you to figure _that _one out?"

"I mean I couldn't _hear_ them."

"None of them?" Carlisle asked, ceasing his pacing.

"None of them." Edward confirmed.

Alice's eyes glazed over for a couple of seconds. Then she looked at Rosalie.

"No." she said, firmly. "We are not going back."

"Oh, but think we are."

"You can't just go into somebody's home uninvited."

"Oh, like you've never done it before."

"We were just _kicked out _of their house. I don't they want us back so soon."

"Well, I'm going. And you all are perfectly welcome to join me."

* * *

><p>"I HATE YOU!" were the first words the Cullens heard, upon returning. "HAVE I EVER TOLD YOU THAT, I HATE YOU!" it was unclear who had said it. The only things the Cullens could discern about the voice were that it was female and very, very angry. Clearly the situation had only deteriorated since the Cullens left.<p>

"I WILL CUT YOUR _HEAD_ OFF!" Sky yelled.

"Ladies, ladies, let's just _calm down_." Eli said. There was a sound like breaking glass.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna…go now." Blaine said, easing towards the door.

"I'll come with." Racy said, grabbing his arm.

"So you're just going to leave me here with them?" Eli said.

"Yeah." Blaine said.

"Basically." Racy said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Where's Ren when you need her?" Eli said, looking upward.

Blaine reached for the door, turning the handle, and opening it – revealing the Cullens.

Sky looked up from her position on Bella's back, where she had been pulling her hair.

Racy sighed, "Didn't you _just_ leave?" She said, sounding slightly exhausted.


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't know, the first part is kind of random.**

**I've got a cold, possibly the flu. I absolutely hate being sick, I mean who doesn't, but it's not usually a problem because I almost never actually get sick. But I spent the night at my aunt's house and she had a cold. And she had the **_**ceiling fan **_**on, just circulating germs.**

**And, right now, I can't breathe.**

**Also, I realize that there's a flashback in every chapter but I'm laying groundwork, or foundations, whatever.**

**Also, it Cirinoah's point of view at the end.**

Perfection. Perfection hurt. It hurt because it was almost always unattainable. It hurt because even if you obtained it, it would drag you to hell and back to maintain it.

Yucara Zimo was not perfect. But she hurt anyway.

Yucara was shattered, the kind of broken that took years and the kind of patience that no one possessed to be fixed. Yucara knew this and there was only one person in the world besides her who did. Because she hid well. She didn't need her eyes to be good at reading people; that came naturally to her. She knew when they suspected things and she changed according to what she knew they would most likely accept. There was only one person in the world that Yucara had never been able to lie to. Not because he was too smart for her lies. Not because he knew her to well to believe them. Not because she cared for him too much to lie to him; damned if she hadn't taken more than her fair share of shots at it. It was because she always twitched when she lied to him, like she didn't quite believe it herself.

She used to paint. Things like ceramics and oil on canvas. But that was when she was like five and she paid little attention to detail, but they had all turned out all right. But lately she had been overcome by the strong urge to start painting again. She wanted to mold clay and find a place with nice scenery to paint. She missed how dirty her hands got after handling the clay and how her parents never seemed to mind when she made a mess. She longed to feel a paint brush in her hands. It always calmed and took her mind off her worries. Though her five-year-old worries were nothing compared to the ones she had now.

Yucara knew a great deal about want. She wasn't sure if it was a sin – she'd never been much of a religious person – but she knew that if it wasn't then it ought to be. It was dangerous. It made people do stupid things and she wasn't really sure if she knew the difference between lust and love and that scared her. More than she'd ever admit.

Yucara had not been called to the Hokage's office to see her long-lost friend. Honestly, how could she have been? Yucara laughed as she recalled Naruto's bulging eyes when she'd kissed Gaara. It had been hilarious. Her friend had done well for himself. Kazekage. She never would've suspected.

She'd been called because Sasuke had been spotted near the Sand Village. And when she asked why Gaara wasn't with his people, he'd simply said that he had already arrived here when the news reached him. They wanted to know why he'd be there.

"Sasuke's not an idiot. And he'd not a huge fan of the Akatsuki either. So if he's planning on attacking the Leaf, he's probably gathering rouges." She didn't know this for certain but it was accurate enough.

Yucara was upset with herself. She should be with him. Not because she approved of what he was doing; she didn't. But because she kind of…ached without him. Like a throbbing pain in her chest. It was not an altogether enjoyable feeling and she fought the urge to go looking for him. But that would help no one. She knew that they had only gone easy on her because in their eyes Orochimaru had practically been her dad because he had raised her but she'd never considered him as such. They figured that she probably didn't know right from wrong because the way Orochimaru thought, he probably blurred white and black into a huge gray area. Which he did but she was just as guilty. She should've been able to figure out right from wrong herself; she was old enough to know the difference. If she went running back to him, they would not forgive her again so readily. She wasn't a missing-nin now because technically she hadn't been a shinobi when she left her village but doing it again was suicidal.

"Naruto, you, Kakashi, Sakura, Sai, and Safaia are going to go."

"Did you just say Safaia?" Yucara asked. Tsunade nodded. "As in Safaia Munsuton?" At Tsunade's second nod, she groaned and dropped her head limply onto the desk before proceeding to bang her head against it. "Do not bring her anywhere _near _me." She sighed. "I cannot handle this right now." Of course given her incredibly bad luck it was at that moment that the door open revealing the exact person she had expressing the wish to not see.

"Tsunade-sama-" the girl said before seeing Yucara. Her shoulders slumped. "Oh, _Yucara._" She said in a rather cold greeting.

"Fay-Fay." The name was decidedly childish and had only been given to her because, even at the age of seven, Yucara had had a hard time pronouncing her name. So she'd ended up calling her Fay-Fay and the name had stuck but it had been eventually shortened to Fay because Fay was just simpler.

Yucara studied her old friend, a Otogakure-nin or _formerly_, apparently Yucara thought she took in the hitai-ate that was displayed proudly around her waist. She looked different but a few months can change a person. Her lime green hair was pulled back in to a high ponytail that was long and hung almost to her calves, bangs covered her forehead and framed her face. Her legs and forearms were clad in fishnet. She wore a black skirt with slits up the sides and short shorts underneath and a dark blue shirt that was cropped just under her bust.

"Why are you _here?_" Safaia asked. "I'm not going to forgive him, or _you._" Yucara stood from her seat and walked over to her. She noticed that Fay had yet to cut her hair.

"Of course you automatically assume that it's all about you. How could it be about you? You didn't even tell me where you were going."

"He killed him."

"_I'm sorry._"

"You're not sorry. Don't even try to lie to me, it's degrading."

"You're right. I'm _not _sorry. It's not his fault, it's not my fault, it's _your _fault. You shouldn't have gotten so attached to a _felon,_ you should've had priorities, and, most importantly, you shouldn't have been _stupid_."

"You know what, you're such a bitch. You have been ever since _he _came along and I'm sick of it. I hate him and I_ hate_ you."

This was actually a very complicated story.

_Though Yucara did not consider Orochimaru a father-figure, she did give him a certain amount of respect. And he treated her sort of how he might've treated a daughter, so as a result, the places he went, she went. And on this particular trip to Otogakure, she found herself wandering the streets and during this task, one that was odd for a seven-year-old, she spotted a girl who appeared to be homeless and had hair that was the oddest shade of green. It was kind of freakish, really. But this did not bother Yucara and she felt a strange kind of kinship with the girl, for reasons she couldn't understand because her memory was seriously lacking in many ways. So she searched through her pockets until she managed to summon twenty ryo, which was about half the money she carried on her person at any given time, and she walked over to where the girl stood by the wall of a building – and by stood she meant sat and by sat she meant slumped and by slumped she meant was possibly dead, that was how malnourished she appeared, Yucara could actually see that girl's ribs even through her torn shirt. The girl's expression as she handed over the money was more than worth it._

"_Thank you." The girl said it almost reverently._

"_Don't mention it. I'm Yucara." She held out her hand and the girl stared at it almost like she thought that Yucara was going to slap her with it. Yucara dropped her hand back to her side._

"_I'm Safaia."_

"_Safa-Safa-Safa-_what_?" the girl giggled at her bemused expression. Who gave a child a name like that? It was beyond confusing._

"_Safaia."_

_This time Yucara didn't even attempt to say it. "Fay-Fay, you're coming with me."_

"_To where?"_

"_A wonderful place." It was only a slight lie._

**Ŀ**

Or perhaps not a lie at all_, Yucara thought as she looked at Fay who was beaming as Orochimaru praised her. She had finally mastered the Sound Pulse, a move in which she radiated a bubble of sound from herself in all directions that had the ability to break eardrums. Of course both she and Orochimaru had been required to wear earplugs to observe her training. And everyone else was advised not to be within a mile of the arena in any direction because although she had only just mastered the move once she broke into something it was usually with a bang._

_As Yucara watched the two together she realized that though she herself did not consider Orochimaru to be anything resembling a dad, Fay did, if the blinding smile on her face was any indication. This was a bad thing, Yucara knew, Orochimaru was rarely, if ever, without an ulterior motive but in this case Yucara could not quite figure out just what it might be. She did, however, know that it would end badly because, with Orochimaru, it _always_ ended badly._

**Ξ**

"_I'm thinking about cutting my hair." Fay said, running a hand through her, already short, hair._

"_Don't." Yucara said. "You look better with your hair long."_

"_No, _you _look better with _your _hair long. I look better with mine short."_

"_Uh-uh, other way around."_

"_Are we really going to have this argument?"_

"_Agree to disagree."_

"_No, how about, as long as we're friends, neither of us cut our hair?"_

"_But what if I get like, split ends, or something?"_

"_Fine, trims only. Deal?" Fay spat in her hand and held it out for Yucara to shake. Yucara considered her hand for a couple of seconds before spitting in her own and shaking Fay's, a surprisingly masculine thing to do considering the incredibly girly conversation they had just had. _

"_I hope you're not sick."_

_Yucara entered the field with her hands placed firmly and tightly over her ears. As Yucara watched, her old friend, or more likely now, ex-friend pushed incredible amounts of chakra into her Sound Pulse. So much, in fact, that Yucara wondered if she wasn't trying to commit suicide by extreme chakra exhaustion._

"STOP!" _she yelled, hands still covering her ears. Given her relatively close proximity to the girl, the intensity of her Pulse was strengthening and Yucara was almost certain that even her covering her ears would not be enough to stop her eardrums from bursting. To her astonishment, Fay actually did. Stop, that is. But the cold look she threw over her shoulder at Yucara made her wonder if maybe it wasn't her best idea to go looking for the girl._

"_You could've stopped him." Yucara didn't say anything, maybe she could've but even if she could have, she wouldn't have. She knew Orochimaru's plans and she had no plans of letting that happen. "This is your fault." Maybe it was._

"_I'm sorry." But she wasn't sorry for not stopping Sasuke from killing Orochimaru. She'd never regret that. What she would regret, however, was how much it had hurt Fay._

"Don't _patronize_ me!" Yucara yelled. Safaia seemed fairly close to punching her in the face. It was that moment that Naruto chose to interrupt. He put a hand on each of their shoulders and pushed them apart.

"Look, I don't know what's going on here but maybe you shouldn't start a fight. I value my eardrums."

But the two continued to glare at each other.

"I didn't do anything wrong." Yucara said, shaking her head at Fay as she ignored Naruto. "Don't forget that if it wasn't for me, you still be a useless beggar on the streets of Otogakure."

It was true and Fay knew it was, so she didn't reply but just turned on her heel and exited the room. Yucara sighed. She hadn't been upset with Fay at first but Fay's hatred of her had eventually spawned Yucara's own hatred of Fay. She could've gotten over it. Yucara had never told her to get attached. She took several calming breaths in hopes of stopping the burning rage in her chest. She could already feel the lightning sparking in her hair. And before she could calm herself down enough, a flash of red lightning cracked over her arm. She continued to take deep breaths though her head was beginning to throb and she felt woozy. Lightning was a bad thing for her, sometimes she wondered if the lightning wasn't red because her blood was infused into it. It would make sense, explain why she was always so dizzy after using it but her brain rejected the idea. That couldn't happen. Surely it was impossible.

She always sparked when she got angry. She wasn't absolutely sure why. Lightning wasn't even her elemental affinity. It made her sick but she harbored an odd love for it. Almost like some kind of a druggie. But she did not have time for it right now; she tried to avoid getting angry because that lightning was harder to control and more likely to make her pass out. She had neither the time nor the patience to deal with passing out. It was frustrating, to say the least, and thinking about it was not helping her calming exercise. Once she was fairly certain her little exercise was failing, she spun on her heels to face the Hokage.

"I should be able to go, too." She was only mildly upset that the Hokage had excluded her from their little mission. She'd probably end up doing something incredibly stupid anyway.

"I can't send you on a mission. Technically, you're not a ninja." This was true, oh so very true, but Yucara was sick of people saying it to her. And it didn't help that she was well aware that if Tsunade had really wanted to, she could've sent her on the mission but, despite having released from her cell, Tsunade did not trust her.

Not that Yucara could really blame her for that.

She didn't say anything. What could she say? There was no real argument to that. Well, at least, not one that wouldn't be considered aggressive. So the only thing she did as Tsunade reached into her desk was watch. She pulled out a key and handed it to Yucara.

"What's this?"

"A key." Yucara did not appreciate the sarcasm that laced through those words.

"What's it_ for_?"

"Your sister's apartment."

Yucara's sister, Cirinoah, was five years older than her. When Yucara was two years old, she had moved to Konoha to live with their aunt. Eight years later, both Cirinoah and her aunt, Inique, were found by the side of a riverbed drained of both blood and chakra with no signs of either external or internal injuries. Yucara only knew of this because her sister had been a very formidable shinobi and the news had spread quickly. At the time she hadn't even been aware that the girl who had been known throughout the world for her incredible lightning jutsu was her sister, when she'd left she'd taken their mother's name, while Yucara had kept their father's.

So she accepted the key eagerly, gratefully because she still had next to no memories of her sister and even the little link to her was something that she would not – could not – pass up.

_She was wandering through the woods when I found her; far from home. The skin of her neck was red and raw and she looked traumatized, desperate. I saw the etchings, the jewels._

_What had they done to my baby sister?_

_Two-years-old. Two-years old and I made sure she wouldn't remember. But everyone else did._

**So I've actually had this chapter done since before I posted the last one I just kept forgetting to post it.**

**The next chapter will be about her sister, as will every other one after that for a little while. Not because she has any strong purpose in the story. I just feel compelled to tell her story.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Bella's POV; after/during change.**

It hurt; it hurt so much. I don't know if I screamed; all I could feel was the pain. I felt a cold hand press against my feverish skin. The cold dulled the pain slightly and I could hear the voices around me.

"I don't know about this." A voice said; I recognized it as the girl's voice. The one that had bitten me; she sounded like she was standing right beside my head.

"Try." A voice said, the voice was airy and light; it was calming. It seemed to be coming from near my chest. "Her change is almost over; just make the end a little easier."

"It's hard." The girl said; her voice sounding strained. "It _hurts._ Nobody helped me; why should I help her?"

"Because you're a wonderful person?" A raspy voice said; making it sound like a question. It came from above my head.

"Try again, Racy."

"Because you _should_, Ren" The airy voice said.

There was a sigh from the girl, Ren.

"Give me your hand, Sky." She said, I heard a rustling of fabric, then a gasp, and suddenly I felt a surge of coolness shoot through my body all the way down to my toes. It was like a carnival game; someone had hit the target and I was dropped into a tank of ice water. It was _exactly _what I needed.

"Put your hand on my shoulder, Racy." Ren demanded, sounding out of breath and exhausted.

Another rustle; another gasp; and a renewed wave of cold ran through my body. My eyes flew open and my head whipped to the side. Imagine my shock when I saw three girls standing over me; well, that wasn't very shocking.

What was shocking was what they were doing; there were streams of light coming from the two on the side, trailing down their arms: a deep blue from the one above my head, Racy, and silver from the one near my chest, Sky. The light went into the one in the middle, Ren, and trialed down her arm where the two colors braided together along with a deep red and I went cross-eyed trying to look at where it was going; right into my forehead. Their eyes were closed so they didn't see mine open.

So, I – very calmly – jumped up off the bed; kicking Sky's stomach in the process. Their eyes flew open and Sky doubled over, clutching her stomach.

"Hate – newborns." She said; her voice strained as she gasped for air. She coughed twice and rolled onto the bed. They all looked exhausted; like they wanted to go to sleep. But I knew they couldn't; it was kind of sad, in a way. I don't think being kicked in the stomach helped that situation much.

I dropped into a crouch and felt a feral snarl rip up my throat, which was stupid because they looked too exhausted to lift a finger at me. Ren's eyes whipped up at me, from where she stood hunched over the bed.

"Just because I look like I can't kill you, doesn't mean I can't." she said, looking up at me through her eyelashes. Her pinkish-burgundy hair hung around her face, casting shadows.

_That _comforted me. Racy rolled onto the bed next Sky.

"Ugh." She groaned. "I hate it when you do that, Ren."

"You're the one that wanted me to help her." Ren said, shoving the other two over and lying down next to them.

I wondered how all three of them managed to fit onto the hospital-size bed. I felt that they were either stupid enough to leave themselves completely unguarded around a newborn or arrogant enough to think that they didn't have to. And, after seeing their little display, I wouldn't be surprised if it was the second one and in my mind it probably wasn't so much arrogance as fact.

But I didn't want to attack them. Looking at them lying on that bed with their eyes closed; I felt _bad._ They'd done that for _me_. They didn't know me. I knew they probably weren't that nice to everyone; but they'd been that nice to _me. _I wanted that. I _needed _that.

Maybe they knew that. Maybe that's why they were so relaxed. I stood up straighter and the next thing I knew a hand was pulling me down onto the bed where I landed on top of them. The bed – not made for roughly 500 pounds – finally buckled under the weight and collapsed. Racy and Ren, who had been on the sides, rolled off the bed and onto the floor. Sky and I were the only ones who had stayed on the bed. Racy and Ren lay on the floor with their eyes wide open; clearly shocked. Then they burst out laughing. Admittedly it was pretty hilarious. Soon me and Sky were laughing right along with them.

I hadn't laughed in a while. It felt good. I knew it would be over soon; I was thirsty, I could feel it burning the back of my throat, it was ignorable – for now.


	8. Chapter 8

**Who here has read The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan?**

**Possibly **_**the**_** best book/series ever.**

**And now I have to wait an entire **_**year**_** before I can read the next one.**

**I am going INSANE!**

**Bold is Ren, **_italics is Nicolai_**, **_**bold italics is all**_**.**

**Another of my fave songs.**

**I clearly am not Taylor Swift.**

* * *

><p>"I think you should go." Bella said, noticing a <em>told you so<em> look from Alice to Rosalie. "Come back tomorrow." Rosalie flashed a _told you so_ look at Alice.

"Or not, whatever." Ren said, shrugging her shoulders. But she knew they would come back. But whether out of love or obsession, she didn't know.

* * *

><p>"Okay, favorite song?" Ren asked Nicolai, picking up a guitar and strumming a chord. It was the next day and Ren and Nicolai were sitting in Ren's bedroom.<p>

"Changes constantly." Nicolai said.

"Well, what is it now?" she asked.

"Enchanted. Taylor Swift." Nicolai said.

"Oh. I love that song!" Ren playing the opening notes.

_There I was again tonight  
>Forcing laughter, faking smiles<br>Same old tired, lonely place_

**Walls of insincerity  
>Shifting eyes and vacancy<br>Vanished when I saw your face**

_**All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you**_

_Your eyes whispered "Have we met?"  
>Across the room your silhouette<br>Starts to make its way to me  
>The playful conversation starts<br>Counter all your quick remarks  
>Like passing notes in secrecy<em>

_**And it was enchanting to meet you  
>All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you<strong>_

**_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go_**  
><strong><em>I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home<em>**  
><strong><em>I'll spend forever wondering if you knew<em>**  
><strong><em>I was enchanted to meet you<em>**

**The lingering question kept me up  
>2 AM, who do you love?<br>I wonder 'til I'm wide awake  
><strong>_And now I'm pacing back and forth  
>Wishing you were at my door<br>I'd open up and you would say  
>It was enchanting to meet you<br>All I know is I was enchanted to meet you_

And then Bella, Racy, and Sky burst into the room and opened their arms wide and started singing along.

_**This night is sparkling, don't you let it go  
>I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home<br>I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
>This night is flawless, don't you let it go<br>I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone  
>I'll spend forever wondering if you knew<br>I was enchanted to meet you**_

**This is me praying that  
>This was the very first page<br>Not where the story line ends  
>My thoughts will echo your name<br>Until I see you again  
>These are the words I held back<br>As I was leaving too soon  
>I was enchanted to meet you<br>**  
><em><strong>Please don't be in love with someone else<br>Please don't have somebody waiting on you**_

Ren jumped up and stood on the bed.

**_Please don't be in love with someone else_**  
><strong><em>Please don't have somebody waiting on you<em>**

_**This night is sparkling, don't you let it go  
>I'm wonder-struck, blushing all the way home<br>I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
>This night is flawless, don't you let it go<br>I'm wonder-struck, dancing around all alone  
>I'll spend forever wondering if you know<br>I was enchanted to meet you**_

_**Please don't be in love with someone else**_  
><em><strong>Please don't have somebody waiting on you<strong>_

Ren surveyed the carnage that had occurred when they'd randomly burst into song and everyone went kind of crazy.

"I just trashed my room." She said, sounding slightly shocked. She looked up at them and seemed to have a realization. "_You _just trashed my room."

"Sorry." Sky said. "Help you clean."

"You're forgiven." Ren said with a tight smile; partly because she knew she'd never be able to catch Sky anyway, so she figured she might as well get the best deal possible. She glared at the others. "_You, _on the other hand, are not."

"Run?" Racy asked.

"Yeah." Bella said. The other three scrambled out of the room frantically. Ren jumped off the bed, throwing the guitar to the side. She chased after them. After chasing them for a while – she wasn't slow, she was actually faster than them, she was just bad with sharp corners and their house had a lot of those – Ren got irritated. She stopped running, raised her hand, and threw a fireball right through the wall.

"WHOA!" Blaine yelled, running around the corner into the hallway. Ren turned to him, arm raised with another fire blazing in her palm.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." He said, raising his hands. Sky came up behind him.

"Ren," she said, sounding exasperated. "I thought we agreed _no more throwing fire._ I thought that three days of rest after you had to fix my hair had solved that problem."

"But-" Ren said.

"No." she said, sternly. She drew in a deep breath and blew out the flames that still danced on Ren's hands. "I love you, Ren, but if you hit me one more time with that fire of yours, I will kill you."

Ren dropped her hand. "Fine." She said with a sigh. Racy stuck her head around the corner.

"So we don't have to hide anymore." She said and walked into the open hallway with Bella and Nicolai. Ren spun around, throwing another fireball – but they seemed to have been expecting that for they jumped out of the way and the fireball broke through the front door.

Sadly, however, the Cullens had been standing right outside that very door getting ready to knock. The fireball caught Rosalie's face and she screamed.

* * *

><p>"Why were you even throwing fire?" Rosalie snapped, practically yelling.<p>

"Please don't talk." Sky said. "It's disturbing." You could see the bones and muscles that were usually hidden by her skin. Ren hovered over her, hand laying on the right side of Rosalie's face – the side that wasn't burned. Watching her talk when you could actually _see _her jaw moving was not good for her stomach.

Emmett hovered near her, looking worried. "Will she be okay?" he asked

"Absolutely fine." Sky answered.

"Nothing to worry about." Racy said. "You won't even be able to tell she was ever burned."

"Yeah." Bella said. "She's done it to us at least a million times and you can't even tell."

"And how does this work exactly?" Carlisle asked. "Is it like plastic surgery?"

Ren sighed. "Well, I guess it isn't a secret anymore." She said, glancing toward the others. They nodded. "You see, one of my powers is fire. But another one of them is that I can change reality."

The Cullens looked at her in shock.

"Is that why your eyes are…" Carlisle asked, gesturing to his face.

"Yes." Ren said.

"So what are the rest of you?" he asked.

"Earth." Bella said.

"Water." Said Racy.

"Air." Sky said.

"And the less known, spirit." Nicolai said.

"Do you all have multiple powers?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes." Bella said.

"You can control reality, so you could control any of the elements really. It must be a great gift."

"Not really, it's not that great." Ren said. "It's incredibly difficult. It takes a lot of concentration and will leave me drained for hours, sometimes even days afterwards. I could control earth or water or air – not spirit – but it wouldn't come as easy to me as fire; it would be more exhausting."

"Hello!" Rosalie yelled. "I have half a face here!"

"Right, sorry." Ren said, closing her eyes. Before their eyes Rosalie's face began to knit back together. The Cullens watched in shock.

"There." Ren said, removing her hand from Rosalie's face and gasping for breath. "All better. I think I need to lie down."

Nicolai rushed for and helped support her on her way over to the couch.

**Another song. Was bored. No better idea. Next chap will probably be more interesting.**

**Probably.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm taking Latin, did you know that Bella actually means the wars in that language.**

**Interesting fact.**

**Has anyone here ever seen Stardust? It's a movie. Made in 2007 and I still love it. **

**25 reviews. I'm serious this time. No more updates until then.**

* * *

><p>It couldn't be that bad, could it? Nicolai stood in front of a floor length mirror, holding her hair up with one hand and touching her scar with the other one. She'd seen them staring at her, at her scar. Was it really that odd?<p>

Surely she wasn't the only one with something unsightly.

"What _are _you doing?" a voice asked from the door. She quickly dropped her hands and turned to the door, exhaling.

"Nothing." She said. Sky made her way into the room.

"If you're worried about that scar," She said, walking over to Nicolai and brushing her hair away from her face. "It's not really that bad. And, if you really hate it, you can always get Ren to fix it for you. She's like our resident plastic surgeon. But cheaper." She smiled and Nicolai couldn't help but grin back.

"I don't think I'll do that." Nicolai said.

"I didn't either." Sky said with a smile. She lifted up her shirt revealing a scar that slashed diagonally across her stomach. "I like it, though it makes it nearly impossible for me to show my stomach in public."

"Now, what do you want to do today?" she asked. "I'd suggest shopping; you still look like a hooker."

"I'll try not to be insulted." Nicolai said, dryly.

"It wasn't an insult, it was the truth."

"Well as long as it's the _truth_." Nicolai looped her arm through Sky's.

"Off we go?"

"Off we go."

* * *

><p>"So what I'm about hand you is a credit card, more specifically, my credit card." Ren said, carefully holding out her card. It looked old and well used.<p>

"I'm not an idiot, Ren." Nicolai said, snatching the card out of her hands.

"Keep snatching like that and I'll keep that credit card to myself." Ren said, heatedly.

But Nicolai didn't notice. For she was no longer paying attention. She did notice – with growing apprehension – the face of a man she had years – centuries, even – of her life avoiding. In that moment she _knew_ that everything she'd worked for years of her life would be undone. Yet oddly enough she felt no regret.

_Things will be as they were meant to be._

That's what Ren used to tell her. She hadn't believed her. In Nicolai's mind there was nothing you couldn't do, nothing you couldn't prevent. Yet as she stood there, staring at him and him staring in return. He smiled and she returned it with a small one of her own.

_Finally_, his smile seemed to say.

_Took you long enough,_ her smirk replied because honestly how was she supposed to escape this time.

"What the hell are you smiling at?" Ren said, snapping her fingers in front of Nicolai's face.

"Nothing." She replied, easily. "Don't you think we should be going home?"

"We just got here." Sky said. "You haven't even bought anything."

"Who needs clothes?" was Nicolai's flippant reply.

"People who prefer not to be nude in public." Racy said, sarcastically.

"Just _go_." Nicolai said urgently. "I'll catch up later."

"And where might you be going?" Ren asked.

"Someplace I should've been a long time ago."

Maybe they say the sad look in her eye or maybe they just knew that this was a fight they would not be winning. Either way they turned and left – without a single glance behind them and Nicolai went to the man she'd spent years – to many years of her life to count – running from.

* * *

><p>I wasn't sure what I'd expected but it certainly wasn't this. The politeness, the good treatment, the acting like I hadn't been the bane of his existence for the majority of his life. The mock-cheerful banter was nauseating and if I wasn't hell-bent on trying not to be killed I might have thrown up the venom that was swirling around in my empty stomach all over his obviously designer – Vera Wang, I was almost certain – shoes. She resisted the urge to curse him, his country, and his twisted little monarchy. Did I want to be in his stupid little private jet whilst his mortal flight attendants tried to shove their old, <em>stale<em> blood down her throat? No. Their eyes twitched as they stared at me, they must have sensed that I would much rather _their_ blood. I licked my lips mockingly at them. They flinched and retreated back into the cockpit.

I enjoyed their fear, I could smell it, taste it on my tongue like a rich, silky cognac. It satisfied me more than blood ever could have. It sated the beast in me that screamed that I hadn't feasted in days. I reclined back in my chair and smiled – infinitely pleased with my most recent pastime.

_Carpe diem._

I wondered how many days there'd be left for me to seize.

* * *

><p>"Where could she have gone?" Ren asking, grasping her cell phone so tightly it cracked.<p>

"I don't know." Sky said. And when Ren's gaze hardened she said, "Calm your nerves."

"Call the Cullens." Ren said, glancing around frantically.

"I'm sorry, _what?_" Bella asked, turning an ear towards her.

"I said, _call them._" Ren repeated in a low voice that bordered on a growl.

"Okay, okay." Bella said, holding up her hand in a placating gesture. She dialed a phone number.

"Hello?...Yes, Edward...Could you come over…Yes, immediately." Bella said, her voice thick with an English accent. "Yes, yes, I spent the whole of last year there…Come quickly, bring _everyone._"

She hung up the phone.

"It is done." She said. "Are you happy?"

"I will be." Ren replied. "When we _find _her." She spun on her heels and exited the room.

* * *

><p>"Nicolai, darling!" Aro exclaimed, opening his arms wide like he expected me to run into them like some 1950s movie star. "It's been too long!"<p>

"Yet not long enough." I replied, looking him up and down. "You're looking…" Old? Stupid? Surprisingly wrinkled for someone who is supposedly immortal? I settled for the truth that was least likely to end in attempted murder. "Royal."

"I just want you to know that during your last days of immortality here you may do whatever you want. Unless you want to join my guard." He said. I quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you threatening me?" I asked, an edge creeping into my voice.

"Threat is a horrible word."

"Well I just want you to know that I changed you. _I _am the reason you're still here today, not this castle, not your guard, not your so-called _brother. Me_." I said, touching my hand to the center of my collarbone. "And I could take you out this world just as easy as I kept you in it. You should be happy that I deigned to come here instead of escaping that pathetic, worthless piece of shit you call a guard. And I spoke to you and you now know that I have declined your offer, so leave me _the fuck_ alone."

The glare bored a hole in the center of my forehead but I didn't flinch. There was_ nothing_ Aro – or all his infinite resources – could do to hurt me.

"Send Ren my deepest regards." He said. I turned around and exited the room.

"Will do."

* * *

><p>"<em>What do you mean you don't know where she is?"<em> Ren yelled.

"Well, how were we supposed to know where she was?" Rosalie said indignantly. "WE weren't there."

"I did not spend ten _fucking thousand_ years of my life missing her for _this _to happen!" But they were no longer listening. They'd only heard the first eight words of her last statement.

"Ten _thousand?_" Sky asked incredulously. Ren touched her wrist to her forehead and rested another on her hip.

"I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

* * *

><p><strong>I suck.<strong>

**There is no other excuse for my actions. But I'm back now. And I don't plan on ever letting that happen again.**


End file.
